Traditionally paints came from products from the Earth. Australian indigenous people have traditionally used ochres and ground stone to create wall paintings which survive to this day, thousands of years later. Whitewash and other natural products were common in the days of our grandparents.

Today's paints are very complex products, and are products of the petrochemical industry. Additives are used to increase durability, speed drying, to increase gloss and improve mould resistance. The raw materials used are non-renewable and the concentration of solvents are environmentally undesirable. The health hazard to the occasional user may be relatively small but to industry workers (e.g. the manufacturers and professional painters), this is not necessarily the case. These people inhale the fumes for long hours.

A new generation of synthetic paints (e.g. acrylic) use less solvents and are water based. Sadly, synthetic solvents and other chemicals used in these paints don't grow on trees!

In the case of natural paints, the raw materials are either plant or mineral derived products. Here the manufacturer may not include potentially harmful chemicals (e.g. fungicides) or replaces these with natural alternatives.

The potentially biggest problems can be found in the choice of solvent, pigments, preservatives and drying agents.

Three questions should be asked when selecting paints:

1. Is the product free of all poisons? (For paints used indoors no compromise should be made.)

2. Are the raw materials used as binders and solvents renewable? Paints and lacquers generally consist of up to 65% of solvents and binders (including water). Examples of raw materials which fulfil this requirement are resins from trees and oils from plants.

3. Is the product solvent free? For ceilings and walls only solvent free (water as solvent) paints should be used. For other applications products with less than 30% should be used.

Solvents

Health risks arise during the application of solvent-high paints when painters are exposed to the solvent vapour in the air during paint application.

Modern buildings not only use paints high in solvents, but also in glues, preservatives and primers. It is the accumulation of all these which create an environment which is potential harmful to the user.

There is no doubt organic solvents are harmful to human health. Medically it is under discussion at which concentration the solvent can damage human health. Also under discussion is the potential of different solvents to cause damage.

Heavy metals (particularly lead and cadmium) used as pigments or drying agents in paints must be treated with the utmost care. Both are poisonous and reach the environment via emissions, waste water and combustion. They are stored in body tissue by humans, animals and plants. Humans accumulate lead and cadmium via the food chain and the air.

Titanium oxide is commonly used as a white pigment. It is the most opaque of all whiteners. Pure titanium oxide is a white powder and is considered to be non poisonous. It is a mined product which produces vast amounts of highly poisonous by-products. To manufacture 1 kg of Titanium Oxide, 12 kg of waste is produced.

The only white pigment free of pollutant substances is chalk.

We have been experimenting with an affordable paint which is based on three main ingredients: chalk, cellulose glue and water. The result is a pleasant white paint which does not smell, is harmless and has minimal effect on the environment. The paint is only suitable for indoor use. We have had good success with the use of natural pigments. If you would like the recipe, send a S.A.E. to the GENOA office.

Max Lindegger